1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to protecting a person from potential shark attack and more particularly to such systems that camouflages the user, and additional aids in a ocean survival situation.
2. Description of the Related Art
Applicant believes that the closest reference corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 3,986,220 issued to Johnson and U.S. Pat. No. 3,222,701 issued to Fest. In the past several present inventions for deterring shark attacks have been developed. Some of these present inventions attempt to obscure the human body or somehow make its shape unattractive to sharks. At present all methods of shark deterrents have major flaws; they are either temporary, drift away, run out, fail to function, cannot be sustained, or are not small enough to be easily carried for emergency use. Scientific research and actual observation has shown that sharks are attracted to blood, motion, or silhouettes that look like their natural food prey. These factors are natural prey triggers and can prompt a shark attack. A person floating in the ocean, producing these triggers, is especially vulnerable to shark attack necessitating the development of a present invention to offer protection from such attacks. A black colored bag-shaped present invention has been found to provide a degree of protection from detection and attack, and at least two versions have been patented.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,222,701 to Andre Fest disclosed a tubular sheath attached to and supported by a cork ring to keep a person afloat and shield them from shark attack. However, the open bottom allowed blood and other body fluids to escape from the present invention, still attracting sharks. Additionally, the size, shape, and bulk of the present invention made it impractical to be carried by an individual for use in an emergency.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,428,978 to C. S. Johnson disclosed a black elongated bag with multiple inflatable compartments for flotation and a closing hood. However, the present invention could not be reduced to a small enough size to be carried by an individual, and the enclosing apron design is susceptible, in rough seas, to cause the present invention to fill with water, potentially drowning the user while inside. Additionally, as relates to both, subsequent research has shown that sharks now associate floating black bags with food and have begun predation on black bags. Therefore, due to the design flaws in these two patents and all of the various types of shark attack deterrent present inventions, there continues to be a need for a shark attack deterrent present invention that conceals and disguises a person, prevents the escape of body fluids that attract sharks, eliminates susceptibility to drowning when used, and is small enough to be carried on a person to be readily available for use when needed in an ocean survival situation.
Other documents describing the closest subject matter provide for a number of more or less complicated features that fail to solve the problem in an efficient and economical way. None of these patents suggest the novel features of the present invention.